LJ baseball: Lookin' ahead

The Vikings' Arman Sanchez-Mohit (R) moves
to the first base line to field a bunt that goes foul.
La Jolla's starting catcher got a stint on the mound
at mid-game. (Photo by Ed Piper)
 

By Ed Piper

At the Padres' season opener yesterday (March 29) against the Brewers, a gentleman nearby said at one point, "They (the Padres) are looking ahead to 2021."

With the Padres' young talent and commitment to developing through their own system, rather than buying high-priced stars in the free agent market like they tried three years ago--and found it utterly failed, with clubhouse chemistry poor and effort by some veterans lacking--manager Andy Green and the San Diego management are taking the long view. This is a position-by-position build.

I thought today how apropos this model is to Gary Frank's baseball program at La Jolla High: After an initial burst of three wins in their first four games in the Sweetwater Invitational, the very young Vikings hit a Lions Tournament week the past three days (actually Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday, March 26-28) that bumped and bruised them.

Such a thing is going to happen. But the hope-springs-eternal spirit that began the season at the beginning of the month with the 25th Annual Alumni Game lives on in the new arms and bats that are embodied among the two freshmen, five sophomores, and eight upperclassmen populating this year's roster.

I traveled a long way in a Buick, as Dick Howser used to say (and I don't even like the Yankees, which he managed), for Wednesday's final pool-play game in the Lions tourney at faraway Sage Creek.

This is a high school so new (completing its fifth year in existence) that they are just now putting the finishing touches on a humongous Performing Arts Center facing on the front parking lot. The baseball field is the furthest-most element on the whole campus, way back in the back, nestled against some hills. Really a nice view where I took a snapshot from across the way: the school and the ball field set out literally in the sage, at the end of Cannon Road. There is nothing beyond it. Enough tumbleweeds to knock over a car, I imagine, at the right time of year.

But these are no hicks. To enter the campus at 1:50 p.m. (for a 3 p.m. opening pitch), I had to type my name into a handy monitor at the front desk, then frame and click my own self-portrait to print out a visitor's pass. Quite the deal.

Well, lefty junior Blaise Gimber--who I'm coming back to for quotes; the guy is a veritable quote machine speaking in paragraphs!--got roughed up pretty bad in the first inning on his slow control stuff. Six runs in the bottom of the first. Some balls were thwacked pretty hard to the left- and centerfield fence.

Two runs came in when shortstop Cooper McNally, the new shortstop, wasn't able to cleanly glove a short pop behind second base. Score it as you will, a hit or an error. Cooper, asked before the game if he has been a shortstop for long: "I never played it before."

Not that I'm putting the sophomore down. He can play. And Gary Frank has definite ideas about where he wants to play certain people, according to their abilities and the team's needs. And the left-handed batter, filling the third slot in the lineup, can certainly hit. He is carrying a pretty good batting average right about now.

Too bad on the first inning, because Blaise went on to record good second and third innings before giving way to other hurlers.

And the host Bobcats didn't do much more the rest of the day. They only added one more run the remaining five stanzas.

Process. The Philadelphia 76'ers have made that a motto: The Process. The Padres are doing it. The Vikings have to do it, because they had so many openings on the team after last year's seniors graduated in June.

The players are young. Gary sees something in them. He's got Alex Monell and the other seniors to help "bring them up".

I like the human aspect of sports. The team is an incubator for learning. These guys have been exposed to Tom House, the professional pitching guru, who visited in February. They have their own resident pitching specialist, Jake Grosz. Bob Allen has seen a campaign or two--stand with his wife during a game. She will fill you in on what's going on. She knows her baseball.

It's trite, but this is truly a family. All coaches preach it. You have to have guys who care about one another and the team. Frank made a comment about Yered Teodosio: A guy who will take buses from his home on a non-school day all the way up to University City really wants it. The others see that. Commitment. These are good words. These are good values.

Living it now. And looking ahead. Both are part of the experience.

LJ track: Byrne from Getty

By Ed Piper

Paul Byrne, La Jolla's head track coach, was on the phone from Gettysburg. "I'm in a hotel so it could be noisy," said the math teacher, submitting to an interview about this year's Vikings girls and boys track teams.

Later in the conversation, he revealed that he was in the historic town, where he is one of 12 teachers or teachers' spouses serving as chaperones on the "East Coast Experience" for 145 eighth-graders at Muirlands Middle School.

On Wed., March 28, the six-bus group, including "boys red bus" and "girls blue bus" lists, rolled into the Pennsylvania town, where the Civil War took a turn against the Confederacy despite heavy losses for the Union, after visiting Amish country in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Thursday's schedule was equally as hectic: a bus and walking tour of the battlefield, then on to Washington, D.C. to see several memorials and an opportunity "to take a photo of the White House through the fence". No slack time here. The teacher's motto: Keep 'em busy, and they won't get into trouble.

As I write this Thursday morning, the group is already activated for the day--three hours ahead of Pacific Time--facing visits tonight, after dinner, to the following memorials in D.C.: the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, and the Marine Corps War Memorial.

Whew. That sounds exhausting, just reading it.

Meanwhile, Byrne's track speedsters and jumpers are enjoying the Spring Break week off back here at home. Deyna Roberson Brookins, who coaches runners primarily, is running abbreviated or partial workouts at La Jolla High.

"It's a fun time," said Byrne, reflecting on the explosion of 175 student athletes receiving uniforms this season for the track team. That includes a humongous and talented freshman class.

That 175 number is up from 60 team members only four years ago, when Byrne took the head coaching position after a couple of years of turnover of head coaches that crippled the Vikings' continuity and the diminished the attractiveness of the program.

Now, as Brookins says, "There is a lot of excitement (around the track program). Even football players come out." One of Byrne's innovations is a middle school track meet, this year's taking place on cinco de mayo (May 5) (in Spanish, dates and months are not capitalized--you could win a grammar trivia contest with that).

Mac, cont.'

Coach John McMullen (R) with me at our lunch
before the NCAA West Regional in L.A.
 

By Ed Piper

John McMullen, my varsity basketball coach (see previous entry), knew his x's and o's, like any good technical coach, but he was also a motivator.

He was obviously intent on his coaching and going further, because after a handful of years at Camarillo High from about 1968 to 1976, he took an assistant coaching position at BYU, and then after a purge there due to some unfortunate seasons on to Santa Monica College, where he achieved state Hall of Fame-worthy status.

 

With me, "Mac" used fear. I have to put that in context. He wasn't a mean person. Like I said, he was intent in his coaching. He wasn't just rolling out the balls. As I experienced him as my coach my junior and senior years in high school, he didn't turn his intensity off and on. So, when you dealt with him, he was transmitting a seriousness toward basketball--like, let's work hard in practice, let's work to get better.

I have twice told him this recollection: After I scored 18 and 31 points, respectively, in two games, I think Channel Islands on Friday night, Oxnard on Saturday night, I read in the Oxnard Press-Courier (newspaper) the headline, "Piper Pots 31." My head couldn't handle that. I had never scored anywhere near that number of points in a game previously in my short basketball career.

By Monday, I had the figurative swelled head. I don't think I tried to get a swelled head. I just had never experienced success like this before.

 

So, in practice after school that afternoon, McMullen was explaining something to us out on the court. As he instructed, I was here-and-there with my attention, which was obvious to him as he looked at the assembled team in front of him. Getting perturbed at my inattention, he flicked the clipboard toward me.

 

I was in the second line of players, so the clipboard bumped into the teammate in front of me. That upset Mac (whom we would never address that way to his face) even more, so he was pretty irritated.

 

He wasn't abusive, he wasn't a screamer, he didn't use profanity. I've seen and heard all of this kind of stuff from coaches during my 14 years covering high school sports close-up in the San Diego area, since 2004. When I hefted my big cameras (which I have since sold due to back trouble), I was often feet away from some of these coaches--enabling me to see and hear every word they're saying, in some cases.

Coach McMullen, when I've recounted this anecdote to him both times, has responded in some surprise. I think I need to explain to him that I don't mean to portray the incident as being one where he was inappropriate or violent. Having been surprised with the anecdote in a friendly social setting, he probably hasn't been sure where I've been coming from.

Maybe it's not the best thing to toss a clipboard. He certainly wasn't trying to hurt anyone. And he wasn't out of control. I just think, with his command of the team and his seriousness, he saw my complete distractedness--and reacted.

I have told people before that I was more scared of McMullen than our opponents. What I mean by that is that I think, as the effective motivator that he was, my coach knew that I needed a little fire built under me. I was competitive, but I was also maybe too nice on the court, not wanting to foul or elbow. Well, honestly, rebounding under the basket, if you allow another player to take up extra space and push you aside, you're not going to be very effective.

During my senior year, I experienced a struggle between trying to be a good person in school and how that played out on the basketball court. I took Humanities, a new elective taught by Kay Senior. We explored what it has meant through history (classical Greece and Rome included) to live "the good life". I remember I had to make a collage representing some of the elements I identified with this.

I had Ms. Senior last period.

 

Then, minutes later, after changing into my basketball gear, I was out on the gym court being pushed to perform well by McMullen. It was tough to get in there and be aggressive earlier in my playing.

Later, after I had played through community college and tried out and not made the team at Chico State my junior year, thereby ending my organized basketball career, I found it much more natural to be aggressive under the boards, using my hands as needed, jockeying for rebounding position.

 

That resolution, which enabled me to be a pretty good defensive rebounder, came largely because Coach McMullen urged me to quit being so "nice" (meaning getting pushed around) and pointed the way toward occupying more space on the floor and keeping it.

March Madness

Michigan (maize-colored uniforms) blew out
Texas A&M (burgundy unies) from the beginning
in the first game of the Sweet 16 doubleheader
at the Staples Center. (Photo by Ed Piper)
 

By Ed Piper

Going to the West Regional of NCAA men's basketball, "March Madness", was interesting and fun.

The fun part was spending three days (65 hours) with high school teammates, two of whom I hadn't seen since the day they graduated with my older brother Steve in 1970. Also, very meaningful to me was telling my high school basketball coach, John McMullen, how much his instruction and mentoring of me to become a better basketball player meant to me.

Humbled, he said, "Thank you very much." I didn't know if, in the hubbub of the Italian lunch we had with him in Culver City, I'd be able to talk with him. A previous get-together including the same guys, when McMullen was still actively coaching, a few years ago when New Mexico played at Long Beach State, hadn't really allowed for any meaningful interaction.

Coach McMullen, now 78 and an inductee into the California Community College Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, was in good shape, sharp, and remembering specific things about our years playing under him. That was pretty exciting and satisfying--when you can swap stories and, at our ages, have recall and enough energy to enjoy it.

Frankly, the interaction with the guys was much more satisfying than the actual games themselves. My energy level being what it is at age 63, by late afternoon and into the evening I'm not brimming with vigor, even on my "extra tank" of adrenaline. Michigan defeating two opponents is pretty much the summation of the three games spread over three days: The Wolverine fans, in maize and blue, dominated to the point of being about 80 percent of the vocal crowd at Saturday's game, March 24, when Michigan overcame a good Florida State squad.

The "interesting" part was staying at a hotel in downtown Los Angeles, near the Staples Center. It is a gritty area, urbanized, rough, and populated with plenty of unfortunate homeless people. Wandering the streets at night is probably not the best option, so that definitely affected the tenor of the trip. Good rate at the hotel, close location to the venue, but not an easy area to negotiate.

On Saturday we happened to be a few blocks from the L.A. version of the anti-gun "March for Our Lives". Some of the participants grabbed a bite to eat at the Subway next to our hotel, and we watched Emma Gonzalez's speech on TV, so I felt like I experienced a tiny bit of the event.

I enjoyed the most like-spirited guys who swapped stories about intermediate school (we didn't have a junior high in Camarillo) and high school. A neat balance, totally unplanned and unintended, was an even three-three split between those of us who had attended Las Posas Elementary School (including myself and my brother) and the trio from El Rancho, across town. The same order persisted two days later, even after two of us six had to depart for other commitments: two from Las Posas (guess who), two who attended El Rancho.

LJ baseball: Photos 3/21

By Ed Piper

LJ baseball 0, Parker 4

Centerfielder Blaise Gimber works a walk in
the fifth inning. (Photo by Ed Piper)
 

By Ed Piper

La Jolla's baseball team, young and frisky and sporting a 4-2 record, went to Parker Wednesday night, March 21, and ran into Lancer sophomore right-hander Joseph Cetale, who held them scoreless for 4 1/3 innings.

That in itself was notable, because Viking hitters carried a healthy, if not robust, .296 team batting average coming into the GMC Tournament game at the private school in Linda Vista.

In the end, the visitors were only able to garner three hits in total against three Parker hurlers, and fell, 4-0. 

Cetale, a big, angular lefty whose father came from Colombia, where baseball is growing in cities bordering the Gulf of Mexico, held Coach Gary Frank's lineup to a pair of singles by sophomore Cooper McNally over the first four innings.

Viking third baseman Jake Klimkiewicz, a freshman, added a base knock off Cetale in the fifth for La Jolla's third and final hit.

The game was a reunion of sort, with Parker's battery of Mike Campagna and Cetale coming from playing in La Jolla Mustang youth baseball years ago with Viking Johnny Meyerott and others.

The Vikings finally mounted a threat in the top of the fifth, loading the bases on walks by Blaise Gimber and Aidan "Hype" Suljic before Jake Klimkiewicz bunted cleanly down the third base line to get aboard, moving Gimber and Suljic to second and third, respectively.

Actually, Blaise had stolen second before Suljic's base on balls on a spectacular head-first slide in which he eluded second baseman Tristan Neel's tag by heading around the right side of the bag to reach out and touch it. Leading off from first base, Gimber, who is manning centerfield, took off on a steal attempt while Cetale, facing him as a left-hander, was still in the stretch. The pitcher threw behind the base runner to first baseman Mike Yourg, who had to quickly catch and fire the ball to Neel at second. It was too late.

But with the bases loaded and no outs, La Jolla, uncharacteristically, was unable to punch a run home. The next three batters, in slots nine, one, and two in the order, each struck out, the latter two swinging.

Yourg, the big senior first baseman who is headed to USD on the merits of his hitting, relieved Cetale in only his second appearance of the season after the first strikeout. He then showed a good fastball with his straight overhand motion to fan the next two batters.

Viking starter Koa Scott, like his opposite number on the Lancers a 10th-grader, showed good location in keeping his pitches low in the zone, with an effective curveball. "He's a sophomore, so even he doesn't throw hard (yet), he pitches like a power pitcher, not a finesse pitcher," said La Jolla pitching consultant Jake Grosz. "He comes right at the hitter."

Scott, in his third start of the season, gave up runs in the first, third, and fifth innings. The right-hander came in with an 0-1 record, nine strikeouts and three walks in nine innings, and a 3.11 earned run average.

"I left the one curveball up," remarked Scott with regret, referring either to the RBI single he gave up to Campagna in the bottom of the first or the RBI double he gave up to Sterling Hayes in the bottom of the third.

LJ g lax vs. Cathedral Catholic: Photos 3/20

By Ed Piper